


Last of the Lavellans

by Jarino



Series: Rima Lavellan, Herald of Andraste [11]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Angst, Clan Lavellan - Freeform, Comfort, Dragon Age Quest: Protect Clan Lavellan, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family Loss, Hurt/Comfort, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-03
Updated: 2015-10-03
Packaged: 2018-04-24 15:55:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4925824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jarino/pseuds/Jarino
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When word reaches the Inquisition that the Lavellan clan has been slaughtered, Rima runs away and it’s up to Cullen to bring her back.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Last of the Lavellans

_Ambassador Montilyet,_

_I regret that my help for your Dalish allies came too late to be of use. By the time my forces arrived in the area, the Dalish had been scattered or killed, and there seems little left of their clan._

_I understand your Inquisitor must be feeling the loss of her clan. Please accept these gifts and my promise of future help whenever it is necessary._

_Yours,_

_Duke Antoine of Wycome_

The moment Cullen finished reading the missive, his heart immediately sank. He re-read it several times in an attempt to find some loophole, some bit of information he might have skipped over, but it was no use. He slowly looked up to meet Josephine and Leliana’s pained expressions, each of them having come to terms with their failure prior to his arrival.

 “What are we going to do?” he asked, partly to himself.

“Perhaps…it would be better if we held off on this news?” Josephine offered. “The Inquisitor is expected back from the Hinterlands later today. I doubt this would be the best time to spring the news on her…”

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea.” The spymaster began shaking her head. “It’s taken lots of time and effort for us to earn her trust. If we withhold information from her, especially knowledge such as this, there’s no telling what she’ll do.” She directed her gaze to the war table in contemplation. “As regrettable as it is, we must find a way to tell her the truth.”

Cullen immediately gripped the pommel of his sword in frustration. “I knew we should have sent soldiers,” he muttered under his breath. The Herald’s entire clan. Dead. And their blood was on the hands of her advisors.

It had only been a few weeks ago that she’d told him stories about her family members and now he had to tell her that her loved ones had perished under the so-called protection of the Inquisition? She would be devastated.

The large wooden door slowly creaked open and all three heads shot up in shock to see who was entering. Slightly unkempt from her recent outing, Rima casually entered the war room, but upon seeing the surprised faces of her advisors, her expression quickly changed to that of confusion.

“I-uh…I heard a council meeting was being held. Is something the matter?” she asked cautiously.

“Inquisitor, we…” Cullen started, but found himself trailing off. He’d delivered news like this to countless people. It hadn’t been that long ago that he’d finished writing the letters of condolences to those who lost loved ones at Haven. But to give this type of news to Rima? That was something else altogether.

“We have recently received word on the situation at Wycome,” Leliana finished for him, though not quickly enough to douse Rima’s suspicion.

“Ah…And…what have you heard?” There was clear hesitation in her voice, though she attempted to remain unwavering.

“It…appears that the Duke’s forces were not able to arrive in time. Your clan…has been wiped out.” She lifted her gaze to meet the elf with a look of sympathy before adding, “I’m sorry.”

All color quickly drained from Rima’s face and she simply uttered, “Oh.” She stared blankly at the war table, unmoving for several moments before Cullen attempted to console her.

“Inquisitor, if I might-” he started, reaching out and stepping closer to her, but she quickly cut him off.

“I-I’m sorry…I, um…” She stumbled towards the door, gripping the handle with shaking hands. “I need a moment alone. Please excuse me.”

And with that, she was gone. He let out a deep groan and quickly ran his hand through his hair. He knew this would end badly…but maybe she just needed time to blow steam off. After a bit of time alone in her quarters, he could go up and check on her, see if she wanted his comfort then.

He turned back to the two women, each looking at one another in worry, and was about to open his mouth to say something when a quiet voice appeared behind him.

“Loved ones lost. Running, peaceful, never fighting. They always made it out before. How can they be gone? Mamae, Mamae, I miss you. Warm embrace I’ll never feel again. Can’t be real.”

Cullen turned his frustrated gaze on the spirit boy. “Maker’s breath, Cole,” he muttered in aggravation, not paying enough attention to decipher the words the boy was speaking.

“Have to leave. Can’t stay. Need to find someplace out there. Someplace like home. They’ll find me, but I can’t stay. Sulahn, go faster. Please, take us away.”

The meaning in Cole’s words finally dawned on Cullen and he could feel his blood turn to ice. Fearing the worst, he burst through the doors of the room, storming his way to the front courtyard as quickly as possible. Making each step purposeful, he rapidly approached the guards stationed near the gate and barked, “Recruit! Have you seen the Inquisitor?”

The guard quickly stiffened at the command, and stuttered, “Yes, ser…She just left not a moment ago on her hart. Didn’t say where she was going, though.”

Cursing under his breath, Cullen immediately turned on his heel and began making his way to the stables. Catching sight of Leliana, who had appeared at the top of the steps, he ushered her to follow. As he prepared to saddle his horse, he informed her of the situation hurriedly. “She’s run away. Guards say it wasn’t long ago, so I should be able to catch her. Send scouts just in case, but don’t confront her. We don’t want to scare her off.” By the time he finished his explanation, he’d finished preparing his horse and promptly mounted it.

Leliana remained surprisingly calm, and simply nodded in response, heading off to fulfill her task. Gripping the reigns tightly, Cullen urged his horse forward, hoping he might be able to catch her trail in time.

\-----

Rima remained perched in a tree, her knees pulled close to her chest as she leaned against the trunk. Below, Sulahn stood by the river, eagerly taking a drink. She felt bad for running her poor hart for so long, especially after they’d just gotten back from their previous excursion. She was well aware that she was nearly at her limit too, and though she knew agents were hot on her trail, resigned herself to rest.

She’d lost track of how long she’d been running for, but was aware that the sun had set and risen in the span of time since she’d fled. Her eyelids were incredibly heavy at this point, refusing to stay open for much longer. Nestling further into the bark of the tree, she let out a loud yawn. She’d stay for a bit longer…just enough to rest her eyes…

 

She was startled awake by the sound of armor clanking. Steadying herself so as not to fall off the branch, she glanced below warily. The shadows of the trees on the other side of the bank had already covered the river, meaning a significant amount of time had passed while she’d been napping. She silently cursed herself as the clanking metal got closer. She soon recognized the sound of hoof steps accompanying the armor and held her breath. She was well out of sight, perched dozens of feet off the ground, but she didn’t dare move.

The figure soon came within her line of sight and she instantly recognized the fur mantle it wore. He looked about slowly before dismounting his horse and leading it to a nearby tree to tie off the reigns.

Closing her eyes tightly, she willed him to finish searching the area quickly and be on his way.

“I know you’re here, Inquisitor!” he called out. “Your hart’s still here, after all.”

Damn it. Why couldn’t he have just run through the area without noticing her mount?

He soon began walking into the grouping of trees, looking up into each one hesitantly. “Please come down! I just want to talk…” There was mild desperation in his voice and for a moment, she almost believed him. But she knew his true purpose. He was just here to drag her back to Skyhold so she could perform her duties like the good little Herald she was supposed to be.

Rima was well camouflaged in her hiding spot, but knowing that he wasn’t going to leave anytime soon, she needed to come up with an escape plan. Noticing that he was approaching one of the trees on the opposite end of the grove, she slowly began making her way down the tree. If she timed this right, she could slip past him and be on the road before he had time to chase after her.

She’d made it to one of the lower branches, roughly ten feet off the ground, when he began approaching her tree. He spun around, scratching his head as he tried to think of a plan, standing almost directly below her with his back to her. Taking a deep breath, she gathered her courage. This was likely a poor plan, but she didn’t have much choice given the circumstances. In one swift motion, she leapt from the branch, landing directly on the back of the Commander, sending him face-first into the dirt. He let out an exasperated cry of confusion, his outburst muffled by the soft earth, and she took advantage of his bewildered state to make a mad-dash for Sulahn.

When she located her hart, though, her heart jumped into her throat. By the Creators, he was still asleep! As quickly as possible, she rushed to his side, shaking him awake and urging him to his feet. He bleated in protest, and was getting up far too slow for comfort. She was running out of time…

In the midst of her scrambling, a hand clamped down around her wrist and spun her around. She let out a shriek in opposition and desperately tried to pull herself from his grip. His other hand found its way onto her shoulder and he attempted to steady her in her struggling. “Hey, hey, it’s okay…Please just calm down.”

“Let me go!” she demanded, still trying to free herself. At this point, she was very seriously considering using magic on him, though she wanted to avoid hurting the Commander if at all possible.

“Please…Inquisitor, just talk to me,” he pleaded, trying to meet her gaze.

“No…Leave me alone!” she shouted, her eyes squeezing shut in frustration. He didn’t want to help. He was just here to retrieve the Inquisitor.

“Rima,  _please_ …”

In that instant, she stopped her struggling, her breath hitching in her throat. Wide-eyed, she stared up at him in utter confusion. He’d said her name. She couldn’t recall a single moment he’d used her name before.

Realizing he finally had her attention, he loosened his grip a bit and looked into her eyes. “I…” he started. Clearly he hadn’t thought this far ahead.

“You…?” she prompted, annoyance thick in her voice.

Shaking his head slightly, he let out a deep sigh. “I’m sorry about your clan.”

She couldn’t control the gasp that left her throat and felt her breathing waver. Attempting to push the feelings aside, she gritted her teeth and glanced at the ground. “Don’t be. It’s not your fault, after all.”

Rather than try to deny her statement, he simply took a deep breath and looked off to the side, as though he were recalling a long-lost memory. “I know what it’s like to grieve,” he stated solemnly. “But unfortunately, I can’t say my method of mourning was in any way healthy.”

Though she still held anger in her eyes, she glanced up at him curiously.

“I was angry…at everyone. I took that anger out on all who surrounded me and distanced myself from others. I thought it better to remain detached and secluded than to risk being hurt.” He gazed down at her with such vulnerable eyes, hoping she might understand his words. “It wasn’t until several years later that I learned how wrong I was…” His voice lowered to an intimate volume and he continued, “I don’t want you to suffer the same fate.”

In that moment, something in her snapped. All the emotions she’d been holding back came tumbling forward and the tears immediately began to spill from her eyes. He instantly released his grip on her and pulled her into a firm embrace, running his hand along her spine as she wept loudly. Her hands found their way around his torso and clung to his cape, her fingers digging into the cloth. She held onto him as though he was the only thing keeping her anchored to this world, and perhaps that was the case.

“It’s all my fault,” she sobbed into his chest. “I should have thought this through…Should have done  _something_.” Hiccups interrupted her words and she was unable to keep her voice even. “My family, my friends…everyone I’ve ever known and loved… _dead_.”

He pulled her closer, his hand coming to rest in her hair. “Shh…shh…don’t say that. This wasn’t your fault,” he uttered softly.

“But it was,” she protested. “I-I was trying to be more diplomatic by using our alliances…If I’d listened to you or Leliana, they might still be alive!”

“You did what you thought was best,” he insisted. “You couldn’t have known this would happen. None of us could.”

She wanted to argue against that, but her sorrow overpowered her guilt  and she submitted to her crying.

She remained in his arms until her sobbing eventually died out and she looked up at him with red, tear-stained eyes.

Gently wiping a lingering tear from her lashes, his hand tenderly rested on her cheek. “Feel better?” he asked gently.

“A little,” she mumbled with reluctance.

Smiling warmly, he pulled back from her slightly and gestured to his horse. “Shall we return, then?”

She gave a halfhearted smile in response and nodded in affirmation.

\-----

As the pair made their way back through the gates of Skyhold, a large crowd was awaiting their return. Some were scouts who’d been notified of the situation, but most notable of those present were the members of Rima’s inner circle. As she dismounted her hart, they immediately swarmed her.

“Goodness, do you have any idea how much of a scare you gave us?” Dorian reprimanded, which caused her to look down in shame and respond in a small voice. “I’m sorry…”

“Don’t be sorry,” he replied, waving away her apology. “Just don’t ever let it happen again.” He pulled her in for a quick hug before allowing the others to voice their concerns.

“You will be the death of us, I swear it.” Rima looked up to see Cassandra standing before her and she would have sworn the woman was cross with her if she hadn’t pulled her in for a bone-crushing hug. “I am glad you are safe, though.”

As the Seeker released her, Varric came up to her side and spoke casually. “You may not realize it, Starlight, but everyone here was worried sick about you.”

Looking up at the group of caring friends that surrounded her, a realization quickly dawned on her that warmed her heart. A genuine smile spread across her face and she could have sworn she felt a tear fall down her cheek.

She didn’t lose her clan. Not truly. She had just gained a new one in its stead.

**Author's Note:**

> (Sulahn is the name of her hart, in case you couldn't figure that out. :U )


End file.
